The Department of Neurological Surgery

About Our Neurosurgical Team

The neurosurgical team is led by Jonathan H. Lustgarten, M.D., a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons who completed his neurological surgery residency at the Neurological Institute at Columbia-Presbyterian. His interests include the treatment of brain tumors and aneurysms, as well as stereotactic surgery, trigeminal neuralgia and spinal surgery.

David Estin, M.D., earned his undergraduate degree at Brown University, and doctor of medicine degree from the New York University School of Medicine. He completed his surgical internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and his residency at Tufts University's New England Medical Center in Boston, where he served as chief resident. He has special expertise in brain tumors, spinal surgery, frameless stereotaxy and endoscopic techniques.

Ty Olson, M.D., joins Monmouth from the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia University Medical Center, where he completed the five-year residency in neurosurgery. He earned his medical degree from Duke University Medical School, Durham, N.C., and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. He holds board certification from the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a member of the North American Skull Base Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Among his special interests is brain mapping, highly specialized surgery known as "awake brain surgery" for deep lesions in the brain. Through brain mapping, neurosurgeons contour eloquent areas related to necessary brain functions by placing electrodes on various parts of the brain stem and conduct various tests to identify the eloquent areas to "contour out" during surgery.

Dr. Lustgarten and Dr. Estin both are instructors in clinical neurosurgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

These Columbia-Presbyterian neurosurgeons work in affiliation with Monmouth:

  • Michael B. Sisti, M.D., created the first computer-aided stereotactic surgical and radiosurgical program in New York state. His special interests include the treatment of brain tumors, acoustic neuromas and vascular malformations.
  • Jeffrey N. Bruce, M.D., specializes in the treatment of complex brain and skull base tumors, and pituitary tumors.
  • Robert R. Goodman, M.D., Ph.D., specializes in stereotactic and endoscopic neurosurgery, as well as the surgical treatment of epilepsy, move- ment disorders and pain including trigeminal neuralgia and spasticity in adults and children.
  • Neil A. Feldstein, M.D., director of pediatric neurosurgery at Columbia-Presbyterian, has special interests in the treatment of spina bifida and related disorders, pediatric brain tumors and craniofacial surgery.
  • Charles J. Riedel, M.D., specializes in spinal neurosurgery with extensive experience in complex spinal fusion, reconstruction and instrumentation, as well as endoscopic, thoracoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery and peripheral nerve surgery.

Our group works closely with the other faculty members of Columbia-Presbyterian, including:

  • Robert A. Solomon, M.D., professor and chair- man of neurological surgery (cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations of the brain and carotid artery disease)
  • E. Sander Connolly, M.D. (neurovascular surgery)
  • Guy McKhann, M.D. (epilepsy, stereotactic and functional surgery)
  • Paul C. McCormick, M.D. (spinal surgery)
  • Donald O. Quest, M.D. (brain tumors, disk and carotid disease)

Our team takes a multidisciplinary approach to care, collaborating closely with colleagues in other disciplines at Monmouth, including surgery, neurology, orthopaedics, pain management, radiology and pediatrics, to provide patients with a treatment plan that meets all their medical needs.

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The Department of
Neurological Surgery

Surgical Residency
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